The Project
by ShallISayMore
Summary: Annabeth and Percy are not two people you would but together in a sentence. They didn't even know each other. That was until one project worth 25% of their grades brought them together. Maybe they weren't so far apart after all.


He was laughing. It was so easy to see, well at least for her. Annabeth had been in love with him for quite some time now. The him in question? Mark Ryan. Not only was he the wide receiver for the football team he was also in a band. Not to mention that he got straight As. She thought that it was meant to be. They had been in a least three classes a year together since freshman year. There was only one problem. They had never spoken to each other.

They had seen each other on multiple occasions. They just never talked. He was popular, and she was not. That wasn't really the problem though. He was nice enough that if she had spoken to him he would have held a conversation with her, but she had just never had the never. Annabeth was in no way a nerd. She was actually a rare kind of pretty. Everyone told them it was the eyes that gave her an edge, a bright green was not seen all that often, but she hid them behind a thin pair of brown glasses. She was thin, but only about five foot four, which had never helped her much. Blonde hair had topped her off, but she thought that it made her more forgettable that pretty.

He, however, was not forgettable. There was nothing about him that seemed to blend in to her. He was tall, maybe a foot taller than her. He had brown hair and grey eyes, which was something she had never seen before, but she thought that his posture was the most noticeable thing about him. If she was working and he walked in to get groceries for his mom she could tell. He held a certain confidence that showed he knew who he was, but it wasn't arrogant. He was like a guy from one of the many books she has read.

That was the problem though. Annabeth was so caught up in books that she never really dated. The guys that she read about had always appealed her much more that the boys in real life. Why would she want to date a guy that was probably no good when she could fall in love with the perfect on paper? She didn't. That was why she never dated. There was too much risk, and not enough hope. There was nothing that could compel her to hate herself enough to date, and that was what she told people when asked. She would date him though. Percy was her exception. She thought that it was a well thought out exception seeing as it was never going to happen.

That was the problem though, him laughing made her want to melt. It was adorable, then the teacher called the class to attention. Annabeth was not ready for this, like at all. She still wanted to day dream about her favorite fantasy. Percy was always very attentive in class, she however was not. ADD had always made school harder for her, her meds were only able to help so much. The honors courses that she had always taken had become routine, but that didn't make them any easier for her. She had to work harder than all of the other kids, but none of them knew that.

She heard a small bit about an upcoming project. They were studying World War Two. It was her favorite topic to study, because she felt like there was nothing that could stop the survivors. They were so strong, and she loved that. The project was simple, but long. They had to create a replica of a device used during the time, write a five page paper and the device, and give a presentation on it. The research wouldn't be bad, but the writing would be. The teacher then announced that it would be in pairs, the room erupted in cheers. Kids all throughout the room were looking around trying to make eye contact with their friends. Everyone needed to assure that they were with the partner that they wanted.

"The pairs will be random!" The teacher scream over the noise. It was soon quiet as all the students around Annabeth calmed to hear how their grade was going to be effected. "I have written half of your names on a piece of paper, and they are now in this," she said holding up a hat. "I am going to walk around and some of you will pick from this hat. Good Luck, this project will be worth twenty five percent of your grade." The groans around the room seemed to be a universal feel amongst the students. This was the type of project that made Annabeth nervous. It was worth a whole bunch of points, and there was no way to guarantee a strong partner. She should have just volunteered to do it alone.

The teacher walked around with the hat as everyone sat in anticipation. There was a squeal as two girls were paired together. They had wanted to be together. There was a quiet gasp and a girl shyer than Annabeth was paired with the class druggy. That was when the hat came to Percy. He reached in and pulled out a small slip of paper. "Annabeth?"

She could have sworn that her heart stopped. How was she supposed to be on task when she had to work with him? They didn't even know each other, there was no way that this project could turn out well. He must have been thinking the same thing because she swore that he didn't look too pleased with his choice. He looked around the room as if he didn't even know who she was. Then she realized that he probably didn't. There was no reason that he needed to. This was the first time that they would ever interact.

The class continued to pick their partners until no one was left. The teacher went over a few other parts of the project, then gave the students time to talk with their partners. She wasn't sure if he even wanted to talk yet, so she stayed seated. Annabeth wasn't looking around the room like she was sure everyone else was. She didn't even look up until the chair next to her moved. She knew who it was. This was it no more hiding now.

"Hi, I'm Percy."

"Annabeth."


End file.
